On Wednesday afternoon Milan took to the field at the Sant Elia in Sardinia and to the surprise of many observers, a certain Alexander Merkel was included amongst the starting 11.
Not since Alexander Pato in 2008 have Milan fielded such a young player in the first team for a competitive match. After three years, it was a welcome sight. The young Merkel, who is only 18 years of age, put in a tidy performance that justified his selection and left reason for optimism about his future at the club.